Every year, the world celebrates actors, musicians, and athletes. But in science, there is another stage to reward the brilliance – the Breakthrough Prize, often called the ‘Oscars of Science.’
In 2026, more than $18 million was awarded to researchers in life sciences, physics, and mathematics for discoveries that could change medicine, reshape our understanding of the universe, and improve millions of lives.
Each main prize carries $3 million, making it one of the richest science awards in the world – even bigger than the Nobel Prize. Here are the scientists and the breakthroughs that earned them global recognition.
The winners included 9 individuals for the main stage prizes, a specialized group of 376 scientists for the Fundamental Physics prize, and 19 early-career researchers for the New Horizons and New Frontiers categories.
Main Breakthrough Prizes ($3 Million Each)
Six primary prizes were awarded to the following individuals:
– Life Sciences (3 prizes):
>>Jean Bennett, Katherine A. High, and Albert Maguire (shared) for gene therapy for inherited blindness.
>> Stuart H. Orkin and Swee Lay Thein (shared) for gene-editing treatments for blood disorders.
>> Rosa Rademakers and Bryan Traynor (shared) for discovering genetic causes of ALS and dementia.
– Mathematics (1 prize):
Frank Merle for advances in nonlinear evolution equations.
– Fundamental Physics (1 prize):
Awarded to the Muon g-2 Collaborations at CERN, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and Fermilab, which includes 376 scientists (such as Atanu Nath).
– Special Prize in Fundamental Physics: David J. Gross for a lifetime of contributions to theoretical physics
Early-Career Award
– Vera Rubin New Frontiers Prize (Inaugural): Awarded to Carolina Figueiredo.
– New Horizons in Physics: Awarded to 11 researchers across three groups.
– New Horizons in Mathematics: Awarded to 4 researchers across two groups, including Yunqing Tang.
– Maryam Mirzakhani New Frontiers Prize: Awarded to 3 women mathematicians (Amanda Hirschi, Anna Skorobogatova, and Mingjia Zhang).
These awards are not just about prize money – they celebrate ideas that change the world.
From helping blind people see again to finding new ways to treat cancer and blood disorders, from discovering the secrets of the brain to challenging the laws of physics itself – these scientists are shaping the future.
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